If you eat enough Dixie Diner products, you’ll recognize the soy flavors.

Apple Cinnamon Instant Hot Cereal: The first time I tried this, it was awful. Zero flavor with no hope until I came up with a few ideas to tweak it. I added one packet of sugar substitute and cinnamon to turn the cereal into a basic oatmeal light on flavor. Then I substitute the hot cereal for the oatmeal in Hungry Girl’s Complete and Utter Oatmeal Insanity recipe. The recipe turned the hot cereal into a creamier cereal with fall flavors from the pumpkin and cinnamon. Therefore, the hot cereal makes a great low carb substitute for recipes calling for oatmeal. Nutrition: 90 calories, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 110mg sodium, 8g carbs, 5g fiber, 3g net carbs and 12g protein. Rating based on original instructions: 0.5/5. Rating based on tweaks: 3.5/5.

Caramel-Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread: This Dixie Diner version of monkey / pull-apart bread hardly satisfies. I didn’t like it enough to bother with the whole package. It tastes like flavorless cakey biscuits. The cinnamon-caramel mixture had a little cinnamon flavor, but I didn’t detect the caramel. Of course, the photo on Dixie Diner’s site shows the bread completely covered with topping. In reality, the bread looked mostly bread-colored with scant topping. I made the bread as described on the mix complete with eggs. For the topping, I subbed the whipping cream and butter with Greek Yogurt and Smart Balance buttery spread. Nutrition for three balls: 78 calories, 1g fat, 8g carbs, 5g fiber, 3g net carbs, 2g sugars and 2g protein. Rating: 2/5

Cinnamon Streusel Swirl Muffin Mix: Making the muffins was tricky. Oh, mixing the ingredients came easy. But when it came to spooning the mix into the muffin pan, I got  the portions wrong. By the time I finished the first spooning and added streusel topping, I had to spoon them again. Well, I didn’t have enough to cover half of them. So I spooned too much. No matter, I worked it out. I made these with egg beaters and one egg white. I omitted the butter. The sour cream and water replaced the butter. Bland, weird taste that I can’t describe. The odd flavor turned me off enough that I couldn’t finish the muffin. Nutrition for one muffin based on following original recipe: 76 calories, 41 calories from fat, 9g carbs, 5g fiber, 4g net carbs, 2g sugars and 2g protein. Rating: 1/5

Cup o’ chili: Cold winter hit making it a great time to eat chili. The sauce has a gentle spiciness to it without punching my sensitive stomach. The meat substitute tastes bland by itself. Take a bite of the meat with the sauce for a decent hot lunch of spicy sauce (not thick) with chunks of meat substitute. You could add cheese and cut vegetables like onions, tomatoes and bell pepper. Nutrition: 109 calories, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 369mg sodium, 10g carbs, 5g fiber, 5g net carbs, 1g sugar and 16g protein. Rating: 2/5

Marshmallow Mix: Add 3/4 cup of warm water to the power mix and mix until it’s fluffy and stiff peaks form. It’s like mixing egg whites and it tastes like dry, room temperature egg whites with no flavor or hint of sweetness. Other family members tried it — same comment. Threw it out. Nutrition: 31 calories, 0g fat, 72mg sodium, 0g carbs and 7g protein. Rating: 0.5/5

Nutlettes Granola Bar – Apple Berry: I used to eat Nutlettes all the time. They’re crunchy soy protein pieces that sometimes gave me a heartburn because of its dryness and hardiness, so I stopped eating them. Not a problem in granola bar form. The vegan granola bar tastes like oats and soy protein with bitter apple like Granny apples and berry flavors. At first, it had an odd aftertaste as Dixie Diner products occasionally have, but the fruity flavors grew on me as I chewed my way through the bar. Nutrition: 87 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat fat, 3mg sodium, 16g carbs, 10g fiber, 6g net carbs, 2g sugar and 8g protein. Rating: 3/5

Smaps Sweet Maple Cereal crunches and tastes like maple-flavored soy. When I ate them without milk, I’d get a heartburn. Can’t explain what it is about them that caused it. When I have no heartburn, I enjoy Smaps for its crunch and sweetness. While Smaps isn’t the best tasting cereal, it has great nutrition numbers! The problem is that sometimes I got carried away eating them dry. Not because they’re delicious, but because they were a low carb treat that I could have without opening a bar or another individual package. At least, it’s healthy stuff! Nutrition ( per 1/2 cup serving): 81 calories, 2g total fat, 0g sat fat, 31mg sodium, 8g carbs, 6g fiber, 2 net carbs and 15g protein. Rating: 3.5/5.

SmartBreak Cashew Crisp Protein Bar is crunchy and a little chewy at times, nutty and lightly syrupy sweet. It tastes like a sweet maple rice krispie bar with a few cashews thrown in. Nice amount of food for the low calories. The bar is about the same size as an average bar like Luna, Atkins and others. Nutrition: 69 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg cholesterol, 32mg sodium, 12g carbs, 10g fiber, 2 net carbs, 1g sugars and 6g protein. Rating: 4/5

SmartBreak Crispy Chocolate Protein Bar: Odd flavor. It takes like coffee-flavored soy nuts with a salty aftertaste that lifts the chocolate flavor. Sometimes you get a little sweetness that’s more like sugar substitute flavor, not in a good way. A little off-putting yet sometimes it tastes like chocolate covered soy nuts.  Nutrition: 65 calories, 3g fat, 2g sat fat, 4mg sodium, 5g carbs, 3g fiber, 2 net carbs, 1g sugars and 6g protein. Rating: 2/5

SmartBreak Crispy Maple Pecans Protein Bar: Ooh, the mixing of sweet maple with pecans just goes nuts in your mouth. The sticky bar crunches while oozing the sweet syrup flavor followed but a toasted nutty punch. This is similar to the Cashew except replace the cashew with crunchier pecans.  Nutrition: 84 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg cholesterol, 10mg sodium, 10g carbs, 9g fiber, 1 net carbs, 1g sugars and 6g protein. Rating: 4/5

SmartBreak Crispy Peanuty Protein Bar: At first, the taste was bitter. But after taking a few more bites and finding bits of peanuts, it grew on me. A very peanuty flavored bar with a crunch from crispy-like rice, probably the soy. Nutrition: 76 calories, 4g fat, 1g sat fat, 39mg sodium, 10g carbs, 9g fiber, 1 net carbs, 1g sugars and 7g protein. Rating: 3/5

Soy Rocks Crunchy Apple Flavored Bar: The bar is so soft that you can use your fingers to pull off a bite. First bite didn’t go well as it had a odd flavor. The more I chewed, the better it tasted and more like lightly sweetened apple soy. The flavor isn’t enough to make up for the great numbers in the bar. Nutrition: 81 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat fat, 3mg sodium, 16g carbs, 12g fiber, 4 net carbs, 3g sugars and 10g protein. Rating: 2/5

Soy Rocks Plus Flax Crunchy Apple Flavored Bar: The bar holds together better than some of the other bars and takes a little more effort to grab a bite. It doesn’t have the sour apple bitterness in the regular Soy Rocks bar. Strange that flax would make a difference and for the better. It tastes more like regular apple without the sour mixed with soy seeds. Not bad for a lower calorie bar full of protein and fiber. Nutrition: 90 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat fat, 3mg sodium, 15g carbs, 12g fiber, 3 net carbs, 3g sugars and 10g protein. Rating: 3/5

Sweet Cinnamon Ovenbaked Pita Chips: Well, I’d say it tastes like cardboard, but that wouldn’t be accurate especially since the chip has crunch. Maybe tasting like paper would be more accurate. And when I bite into a piece loaded with the cinnamon whatchmacallit topping, it feels like it’s loaded with chemicals and preservatives — when I know it’s not. Kind of like having sweetened sand.  Nutrition for 7 pieces: 112 calories, 9g fat, 1g sat fat, 211mg sodium, 7g carbs, 6g fiber, 1g net carb, 0g sugars and 6g protein. Rating: 1/5

Sweet Commute Clusters – Almond Toffee: This is the Dixie Diner version of popcorn. One bite and it tasted sweetened stale popcorn that’s very chewy. Occasionally, I could taste popcorn when I bit into a kernel without anything else. Nutrition for one ounce: 91 calories, 6g fat, 3g sat fat, 1mg cholesterol, 155mg sodium, 13g carbs, 10g fiber, 3 net carbs, 0g sugars and 5g protein. Rating: 2/5

Trail Mix Sticky Bar: Similar to Soy Rocks Crunchy Apple Flavored Bar in texture, this one falls apart easily if you pick it up. It does have a slight stickiness and honey-like sweetness. It tastes like soy nuts, nuts, raisins and craisins rolled in one with an occasional bitterness. This is the highest calorie of the bars I’ve tried, but its calories, carbs and sugars are lower than many trail mix bars. I question the sugars because raisins and craisins have naturally occurring sugars at 1g isn’t much.  Nutrition: 132 calories, 7g fat, 2g sat fat, 5mg sodium, 14g carbs, 9g fiber, 5 net carbs, 1g sugars and 5g protein. Rating: 3.5/5

According to Amy’s, this is a “non-dairy variation of the traditional Mattar Paneer, using tofu along with organic peas in a light, delicately seasoned sauce. On the side are fragrant basmati rice and what we call ‘Swarn’s Golden Lentil Dal,’ which is simmered with organic tomatoes, onions and hand-roasted spices.”

The good news is that this isn’t a spicy dish. So those who love trying different foods and avoid Indian foods because of the spiciness will be able to handle this one.

The cooked dish doesn’t look very appetizing with its yellowish colors, but I know that’s typical of most Indian food. It didn’t bother me.

I only finished the curried peas and tofu part of the dish. The peas had a firm — not mushy — texture and the tofu a soft one. I like tofu, but I’ve had better. It worked fine in the dish. The curry seasoning bathed in a tomato-base sauce. I like rice, but the fragrant basmati doesn’t appeal to me.

The dal — an Indian word for lentils, beans and peas — is made from mung beans. This had a mustard-like flavor that I didn’t like as I’ve never been a fan of any shade of mustard. Maybe I should’ve mixed this with the rice. Wish I had thought of that before tossing it.

When I try products with side dishes, I judge the sides on their own merit. Despite my not loving it, this dish offers a wonderful change from the average frozen meal.

Nutrition facts: 280 calories, 8g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg cholesterol, 680mg sodium, 40g carbs, 5g fiber, 5g sugars, 12g protein.

Verdict

Almond Cashew with Flax + Omega-3. The ingredients create something original with the combination flax, cashews, dates and honey. The honey- and date-colored bar has a gentle sweetness without overkill and lots of flavor for something with four main ingredients. It reminds me a little of Bits ‘o Honey and a sweet sesame crunch treat. Then throw in the nuttiness from flax and stiffer dates for an interesting concoction. Don’t love it, don’t hate it.  Nutrition: 150 calories, 9g fat, 1g sat fat, 18g carbs, 4g fiber, 14g sugars and 4g protein.  Rating: 3.5/5

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants: Although I love every single ingredient in this bar with its almonds, dark chocolate, cherries, cranberries, cashews, peanuts, raisins — they don’t quite come together in this mash up. The bar is very hard and chewy, so each ingredient gets lost. The main flavors are nutty, fruity and chocolatey. Anything else is your best guess based on what you see. You can see the some of the ingredients, and it’s still hard to detect them as you chhhhhewwww them. Nutrition: 180 calories, 9g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 22g carbs, 4g protein, 14g sugars and 3g fiber. Rating: 2.5/5

Cranberry and Almond + Antioxidants: My favorite! Picture flattened cranberry, macadamia and almond crunch and that’s exactly what you get. Every bite is sweet, sour and nutty. This has puffed rice, too, but the fruity nutty flavor wins the taste wars by a knockout. Nutrition: 190 calories, 12g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 19g carbs, 4g protein, 13g sugars and 2.5g fiber.  Rating: 4.5/5

Fruit & Nut Delight: This nutty mix isn’t sweet, but the fruit is there and tastes like dates based on the mixture of honey and raisins. I’m not a fan of brazil nuts, but didn’t notice it in the bar. Fruit & Nut Delight contains a crunchy blend of mixed nuts (almonds, brazil, peanuts and walnuts), dried apricots, raisins and a drizzle of honey. Nutrition: 180 calories, 11g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 16g carbs, 5g protein, 12g sugars and 4g fiber.  Rating: 4/5

Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio + Antioxidants. The chewy, medium sweet and sticky bar infuses blueberry, raisin and honey flavors with the nuttiness and crunchiness  from the almonds. Yes, almonds. I can’t quite find the pistachios, but the almonds are clearly visible in sight and taste. Apples appears as an ingredient but gets lost. However, it probably contributes to the overall flavors. Every bite is different as sometimes blueberry reigns, sometimes pomegranate (not as much as I’d like considering it’s in the name of the bar’s flavor), sometimes almond and sometimes a mix. Great fruity nutty bar.  Nutrition: 170 calories, 8g fat, 1g sat fat, 24g carbs, 4g fiber, 13g sugars and 3g protein.  Rating: 4/5

Walnut and Date: If you crave something sweet or from the raisin/date family, but not chocolatey — this makes a great go to bar with its walnut smoothness and date sweetness. Remember all Kind has in the bar its the ingredients. So what you pick is what you get except more mashed up into a bar and that remains true here. Ingredients include walnuts, dates, honey, non-GMO glucose, raisins, puffed rice (huh? I didn’t taste any puffed rice), flax seed, chicory fiber and soy lecithin. Nutrition: 150 calories, 7g fat, 1g sat fat, 22g carbs, 2g protein, 18g sugars and 2.5g fiber.  Rating: 4/5

It’ll satisfy fans of caramel and chewy bars. If you didn’t like Fiber One’s 80 Calorie Caramel Cereal, don’t let that stop you from trying the bar. I didn’t like the cereal either. Reminded me of the awful Waffle Crisp cereal. It was more like eating a spoonful of maple syrup than crunchy caramel cereal.

Man, the smell was bothersome. I let the empty package sit on my desk while I worked. After 15 minutes of that, I forced myself to go throw it away in the kitchen.

Nutrition facts: 140 calories, 3.5g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 30g total carbs, 9g fiber, 9g sugars, 2g protein

Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats and Peanut Butter: I bet a lot of people compare this to a peanut butter rice crispie bar. It’s close, except the Fiber One bar has more nutty flavor and density than the rice crispie.  Like most Fiber One chewy bars, the bar is packed to the gills with oatmeal. Add nuts and peanut butter swirl for the peanut butter side of things.

Nutrition facts: 150 calories, 4.5g fat, 2g sat fat, 28g total carbs, 9g fiber, 9g sugars, 3g protein

Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats and Chocolate: Chewy, chocolaty, oaty. You get exactly what the name says. It’s sweet and the chocolate swirl and mini-chips are generous for a health bar.

Nutrition facts: 140 calories, 4g fat, 1.5g sat fat, 29g total carbs, 9g fiber, 10g sugars, 2g protein

I prefer the others to the mint. I need a little more chocolate sweetness to balance out the sundae that feels like it had mint extract thrown in rather than mixed in with the sweet chocolate. I’m not asking it to be sweeeeet, but become one and more balanced. The cookie crumbs, sauce and chocolate chips help — but not enough. This one resembles the strength of a York Peppermint Patty more than a Thin Mint, which does have a sweetness to it. Nutrition: 150 calories, 3g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 28g carbs, 1g fiber, 16g sugars and 4g protein.

Verdict for Smart Ones Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae

Smart Ones Peanut Butter Cup: Low-fat vanilla ice cream over a chocolate cookie crust, topped with fudge sauce and mini peanut butter cups. Nice well-rounded treat with great balance of crust, ice cream, sauce and peanut butter cups. The peanut butter isn’t strong as the mini peanut butter cups tend to a have notably more chocolate than peanut butter taste. Actually, I’m not a fan of the mini peanut butter cups — these are smaller than the “fun size.” Nutrition: 170 calories, 5g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 90mg sodium, 28g carbs, 3g fiber, 13g sugars and 4g protein.

Verdict for Smart Ones Peanut Butter Cup

Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae: Low-fat cookie-flavored ice cream over a crumbly cookie crust topped with fudge sauce with cookie dough crumbles. OK, this is what I get for not finishing the post and then coming back to it way after the fact that I can’t describe it. The cookie dough lived up to their name and the crumbles provided a nice touch that you feel like you’re getting a little more. Nutrition: 170 calories, 3g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 32g carbs, 1g fiber, 15g sugars and 3g protein.

Verdict for Smart Ones Peanut Butter Cup

These reviews are based on the two-pack sundaes prior to the point change. Apparently, these aren’t as good. The four-packs do have fewer calories, but not much.